The present invention relates to extraction of performance style models from source performance data of objects. More specifically, various embodiments relate to automatic methods for determining performance style models of objects based upon performance data of such objects. Various embodiments also relate to controlling models of objects based upon the performance style models of the objects.
Throughout the years, movie makers have often tried to tell stories involving make-believe creatures, far away places, and fantastic things. To do so, they have often relied on animation techniques to bring the make-believe to “life.” Two of the major paths in animation have traditionally included, drawing-based animation techniques and stop motion animation techniques.
Drawing-based animation techniques were refined in the twentieth century, by movie makers such as Walt Disney and used in movies such as “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1937) and “Fantasia” (1940). This animation technique typically required artists to hand-draw (or paint) animated images onto a transparent media or cels. After painting, each cel would then be captured or recorded onto film as one or more frames in a movie.
Stop motion-based animation techniques typically required the construction of miniature sets, props, and characters. The filmmakers would construct the sets, add props, and position the miniature characters in a pose. After the animator was happy with how everything was arranged, one or more frames of film would be taken of that specific arrangement. Stop motion animation techniques were developed by movie makers such as Willis O'Brien for movies such as “King Kong” (1933). Subsequently, these techniques were refined by animators such as Ray Harryhausen for movies including “Mighty Joe Young” (1948) and Clash Of The Titans (1981).
With the wide-spread availability of computers in the later part of the twentieth century, animators began to rely upon computers to assist in the animation process. This included using computers to facilitate drawing-based animation, for example, by painting images, by generating in-between images (“tweening”), and the like. This also included using computers to augment stop motion animation techniques. For example, physical models could be represented by virtual models in computer memory, and manipulated.
One of the pioneering companies in the computer-aided animation/computer generated imagery (CGI) industry was Pixar. Pixar is more widely known as Pixar Animation Studios, the creators of animated features such as “Toy Story” (1995) and “Toy Story 2” (1999), “A Bugs Life” (1998), “Monsters, Inc.” (2001), “Finding Nemo” (2003), “The Incredibles” (2004), “Cars” (2006), “Ratatouille” (2007) and others. In addition to creating animated features, Pixar developed computing platforms specially designed for computer animation and CGI, now known as RenderMan®. RenderMan® is now widely used in the film industry and the inventors of the present invention have been recognized for their contributions to RenderMan® with multiple Academy Awards®.
One core functional aspect of RenderMan® software was the use of a “rendering engine” to convert geometric and/or mathematical descriptions of objects into images or that are combined into other images. This process is known in the industry as “rendering.” For movies or other features, a user (known as an animator) specifies the geometric description of objects (e.g. characters) by specifying poses and motions for the objects or portions of the objects. In some examples, the geometric description of objects includes a number of animation variables (avars), and values for the avars. For purposes herein, such data can be termed “performance data.”
An issue contemplated by the inventors of the present invention is that once an original feature (e.g. a movie, a short, etc.) has been completed, the original performance data is seldom, if ever, used again. In cases where a sequel to the feature, or the like is desired, an animator (typically different from the original animator) must specify new performance data to animate the object. However, the animator may be constrained such that the physical behavior of the object in the sequel should mimic the physical behavior of the object (i.e. the object must have the same characteristic motions) in the original feature. To do this, the animator may have to study the original feature and guess how to set the values for the avars to duplicate the “signature” movements of the object.
Drawbacks to such techniques include that much trial and error effort may be wasted by the animator to re-create the unique movements of objects. Another drawback includes that it is often impossible to determine coordinated changes in values of avars that result in the unique movements of objects.
Another problem contemplated by the inventors of the present invention is how to control physical representations of animated objects (animatronics units) so that the animatronics units moves in the same way as the object in the original feature. The use of “animatronics units,” or electronically-controlled mechanical devices for live entertainment purposes, was pioneered by The Walt Disney Company. Animatronics characters have been used in many attractions (e.g. theme parks, rides, performances), such as Captain Jack Sparrow in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” attraction, President Lincoln in “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln,” and many others.
Current animatronics units typically provide a number of controls for a user (animatronics controller/performer) to manipulate physical portions of the units. For example, the user may control the mouth of a character, the eyebrows of a character, the eyelids of a character, the ears of a character, and the like. However, these controls are typically independent from each other.
Drawbacks to such techniques includes that a controller/performer often has no guidance how to coordinate movements of the animatronics unit such that it performs “correctly” (“on model”) with respect to the object in the original feature. For example, the performer may make an animatronics unit of a character smile, but may not be aware that the character in the original feature always winks when the character smiles. Accordingly, the performer must not only study and remember characteristic movements of the character, but, the performer should not make “off model” movements.
In light of the above, what is desired are methods and apparatus that address many of the issues described above.